Rhubarbia

"Wenn ich trinke muss ich singen"

2012-01-29T20:07:00.004Z

oil on wood,

8 x 8 inches

view on etsy

Blizzard's Home

2012-01-25T19:02:00.000Z

view on etsy

High summer revisited, mid-January

2012-01-18T14:39:00.002Z

Summer Storm (II)

oil on gallery wrap canvas, 12 x 10 inches

Here I was revisiting an older painting idea,

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/53033925

but aiming for a slightly different look, darker and more loose with less clearly defined shapes.

I don't normally post such large closeups at full size but in this case I think it's necessary as my camera doesn't capture the effect of looking at the complete painting well at all! I suppose that's only to be expected as it only has one lens for a start- like listening to an elaborate stereo track in mono!

Violets and mauves are notoriously elusive, a camera really can never properly replicate the optical blending effects within our visual systems. The experience of standing in front of a painting is so much more of a rich, multisensory experience. I hope one day to be able to have short video clips (in 3d?! hmm...) ranging over the painting, rather than static shots only.

etsy link

New work, mid-January

2012-01-17T02:39:00.002Z

Iced Summer

view on etsy (opens in new window)

Enivrez-Vous (large detail)

view on etsy

Dandelion Wine
etsy link

Bright Young Thing (II)
etsy

Save The Old Lock Up Studio - an exciting new crowdfunding arts project in Cromford, Derbyshire!

2012-01-09T15:44:00.000Z

Fellow artist Rachael Pinks has a great little studio in a historic building in our local village, Cromford, Derbyshire. She has set up a rewards-based initiative on the UK-based Crowdfunding site We Did This in order to extend the lease on the studio and expand its uses to serve arts and crafts activities in the local area, including a regular affordable life drawing class, arts and crafts workshops, regular "open studio" selling events and low-cost work/exhibition space for individual artists, all based on a self-supporting, non-profit making collective ethos:

http://www.wedidthis.org.uk/projects/save-old-lock-studio

A shot of the exterior of the studio (centre)

Below, a glimpse of Rachael's wonderful art:

Teardrop by Rachael Pinks

The Day After Yesterday by Rachael Pinks

and the studio space:

Below, some photos of the recent Open Studios Christmas event- (the first of many, we hope!) :

The rewards: This is a unique opportunity for art lovers to buy affordable original works from an exciting emerging British painter. Then there is the lasting sense of achievement from having contributed towards developing the studio into a thriving, independent rural arts hub - nurturing creativity in people of all ages and ultimately enriching the culture of the area - all from an individual contribution of as little as £10. Quite something if you compare that to the ephemeral nature of most everyday spending!

Framed works and prints by Rachael Pinks on display at the Apple Day art event, Scarthin Promenade, Cromford, last autumn.

Discover more here

Rachael's art blog

http://rachaelpinksart.co.uk/

Detail from floral painting (commissioned work)

2011-12-13T00:29:00.001Z

2011-12-11T23:55:00.001Z

Catching up with Channel 4's Life Class: Today's Nude series.

A quick sketch done during the John Berger/Maria Muñoz episode. I really need to go to a regular life class. As you can see!

But I found Maria - dancer and one half of Mal Pelo- so fascinating to observe - her tough yet elfin androgynous grace.

All episodes are intriguing though. I loved the encouraging guidance and sensitive comments by tutor Judy Purbeck in episode 2. Once begun, I had to watch the lot in one session. They are only half an hour long each and as I was drawing along each time, they really sped by! My only criticism would be that there was sometimes too much commentary in situ. I was quite happy for silence to reign, sometimes artists (Hume and Ocean specifically) seemed to feel an obligation to speak (very distracting for the artist and observer both, I think) rather than just leaving us to observe/draw. Perhaps an occasional split screen might have been more useful at certain moments to reveal how the featured artists were progressing along.

Watch series one here (UK ONLY? Probably)

There's also a great flickr pool of others' drawings in direct response to the programmes here

As Maggi Hambling (the artist who accompanies us in episode one - a definite highlight!) and others emphasised: although the series makes a great introduction to life drawing, it's a completely different experience - a privilege actually - to really draw "from the life".
Why not have a go? Is there a class near you?

New silver clay ring

2011-12-02T23:20:00.001Z

Here's a new ring-in progress, formed by
carving the silver clay at the dry stage.
After firing in the kiln it was dipped in
Liver of Sulphur solution to darken the lower
areas giving greater contrast to the burnished
upper surface.

Part way through the carving process I began to make
smaller scored lines and notches in some areas trying
to echo and amplify the lines and irregularities seen in
the surface of the fingers. I like the idea of pieces that
sit well with the characterful fissures of use and age.
This is one interesting aspect of making it up as you go
along, you allow space for new things to come up.
I was also using the irregular slight dips and hills of the
simple clay shape to determine where and how I was
carving into the clay. The deeper carved areas set up
natural weaknesses and tensions in the clay which can
cause cracking when you fire the piece, and this happened
in one place on the inside surface.
but this can easily be righted by refiring with oil paste
in the gap, which forms a very strong bond fusing with the
surrounding metal.

The look here is influenced by work
made using lost wax casting technique, something I
would love to have experience of and access to, but with
silver clay I enjoy that you often find your own ways around
technical difficulties to make a fine silver object without much
equipment, it can all be done in a very small kitchen.

more silver clay jewellery here

metal clay info

abstract in progress

2011-12-02T00:20:00.001Z

Monochrome gestural winter abstract

2011-12-02T00:19:00.001Z

"Hinterland", oil on wood panel
etsy link

First of a new winter series

2011-11-24T22:47:00.001Z

New painting, "Ambergris"

2011-11-15T23:16:00.001Z

11 x 14 oil on canvas board.

details:

view on etsy

2011-11-14T21:10:00.001Z

Details from two separate works in progress.

This first is a more "alchemy-influenced" painting,

-which feels as though it marks the coming of the dark half of the year,
a possible time for occultation, and finding strength deep inside oneself.
In the fog and murk one might at least stumble upon a new direction.
"Honour thine error as a hidden intention" as the Oblique Strategies card set
has it.

I'm currently exploring Taoist alchemy http://www.goldenelixir.com/jindan.html

and magical calligraphy;
James Elkins has written engagingly on the kinship between painting and alchemy in "What Painting Is".

Below are two details from deliberately out-and-out garish
"Mischief Night (I Am The Most Horrible)" .
The title refers to a scene from the film "Meet Me In St Louis"
view on youtube...
and revels in all things late October, be it Mischief Night (Oct 30th),
Trick or Treat, Guising and Spirit Knocking.
the surface "claggy" like bonfire toffee, sticky bubble gum
or melting sour-sweet chews; cheap witch masks looming and
bobbing up out of the night, and suspiciously too-red toffee apples.

New small painting, "Escapades", Nov 14th

2011-11-14T00:16:00.001Z

(oil on canvas board, 11 x 14 inches)

Meet Me at the Airport: The Midlands Open at the Tarpey

2011-11-13T14:36:00.001Z

Well, near the airport, anyway... the Tarpey gallery is situated behind a beautiful thatch-roofed house in Castle Donington high street.

Yesterday evening saw the opening night of the Midlands Open exhibition now in its third year.
http://tarpeygallery.com/index.php/art/midlands_open_2011/
One out of the three paintings I had submitted is on display,
Madeleine de Demandolx:

and I was very happy with its positioning and the lighting etc.
A great deal of hard work was clearly involved and to curate such a variety
and quantity of work well is not easy; the results were impressive.

I went along with fellow artist Rachael Pinks, (to whom huge thanks for making me aware
of the event and making it accessible to me as I don't drive.)
Two of her abstract paintings are on view there currently, in the main gallery room.
http://rachaelpinksart.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/midlands-open-at-the-tarpey-gallery/

I really like the gallery interior; the weathered red brick on several walls
contrasts well with the more conventional carte blanche setup.
I was surprised how well certain works look against these walls,
lending them a backdrop with mellow character. (I was similarly intrigued
at how good several paintings looked against a background of living foliage,
at the recent Apple Day event!) I regret not taking a camera along, but wasn't
sure of the etiquette in these matters. It was good to see the high standard
of work included, and the variety of media, techniques and subject matter.
The balance struck between abstract and figurative seemed well thought out.
I was drawn as I often seem to be, to the printmaking side of things.
More ceramic works would have been welcome, but space was at a
premium, clearly and the limited amount of 3d work on show was great.

A few personal highlights: Two stone litho works by Serena Smith,
Pastorale I and II from the Exegesis series, particularly caught my eye.
Chris Pickup 's Turquoise Door.
John Paul Cooke's Untitled 890 (oil on board)
- as an aside, this was also very well framed,as Rachael pointed out to me.
It's a tribute to the framer that I had been aware only of the painting itself
up to that moment, yet when I switched focus to the framing,
it seemed perfect.)

Ashop for Joan, a small oil and varnish on canvas by Michael Bruzon on
display in the lobby of the main house, appealed to us both.

I also enjoyed the sculptures in resin and wire by Jason Carey, and
Sarah Fiander 's winning sculpture Pale Vessel (which I immediately
wanted to curl up and sail away in) and related painting.
The joint prizewinner was Inge Tong, for her Anon series.

It was exciting to see all the work together, jostling for attention inevitably,
but conjuring up a strong sense of a lively contemporary art community
in the region. This was a busy two-hour event and this inevitably meant
it wasn't possible to take everything in, or indeed connect with any artists
(I'm rubbish at schmoozing and we kept having to flee outside to cool down
and top up on oxygen!) - altho I did meet Andy Parkinson very briefly!
But I hope to discover more in the coming weeks and share my finds here.

Two other paintings, Caw and Clatter

and Machiavellian

are also currently held by the gallery. All three works are available for purchase.

The exhibition continues until Christmas Eve.

WEDS - SAT : 11AM - 6PM
TARPEY GALLERY
77 HIGH STREET
CASTLE DONINGTON
DE74 2PQ
http://tarpeygallery.com/index.php/art/contact/

New painting, "Caw and Clatter"

2011-10-18T11:34:00.002+01:00

This is part of a series using gestural large brushstrokes in blackboard paint, with oil colour overlaid with painting knives. It's partly inspired by the sounds made by corvidae and other birds in and around the trees in autumn.
The painting is available via the Tarpey Gallery.

Apple Day Preparations...

2011-10-07T10:25:00.005+01:00

Apple Day (I)

oil on canvas, 5th October 2011

First of a new series celebrating Apple Day, officially October 21st, but will be on Saturday 22nd here in Cromford, much better for families to join in with apple pressing, games and general apple-based mayhem!

This event highlights the need to protect older trees and orchards as both habitats and

producers of heritage or heirloom apples and encourage the growing of less widely

known varieties .

The local independent bookshop, Scarthin Books, has supported Apple Day with

its own celebrations including apple pressing outside on the Promenade at Cromford

for some years. This year for the first time they are inviting local artists to display their

work there a la Rive Gauche!
Any sales I make will include a 20% donation to

Common Ground.

A few more relevant links are...

orangepippin

The Orchard Network (UK)

a is for apple, a V & A Museum art page

List of Apple Day events in the UK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_apple_cultivars

...and the painting is ~~on sale here:~~

~~etsy link~~
(now sold)

"You've just let yourself go, haven't you?" - exploring local textures

2011-10-03T13:26:00.001+01:00

Lately I'm feeling very much that I'm missing so much that is right under my nose and that it's high time I attended to it!

Here what attracts me is partly the whitewash intention/ eventual, inevitable failure;
the flaky brick and greenish mortar looking more cavelike than modern.

Also the interplay of human with other aspects of nature. It seems so inherently poetic.

There are some great Flickr groups on this topic, the "Best Textures" one, for example.
I enjoyed searching with terms like "peeling", "flaky", "blistered" , "abraded" "rusty" and even "mouldy"! Not forgetting "palimpsest".

Other flickr groups celebrating weathered and time-affected materials include "The Rust Bucket" "Wonders of Oxidation"and, especially exciting to me, "Old, Abandoned Houses", and "Rural Decay".

Side turn back into metal clay

2011-09-21T21:43:00.002+01:00

Enjoying working in silver clay again! (My previous work can be seen here

on flickr).

This piece is based around wrapped fine silver wire.
As silver clay shrinks during firing, the wire armature method is especially useful for rings made to a set size.

It's the kind of piece you can work on by building up layers
of clay slip, and also torch fire in the kitchen, although I always
kiln fire them too at the later stages.

Here's the latest photo of the ring - in - progress:

...and an earlier shot of the ring, before firing:

Work in progress, mid -September

2011-09-19T02:42:00.004+01:00

New impasto abstract, "Red Queen In Autumn"

2011-09-19T00:29:00.004+01:00

Oil on Canson Figueras sized painting paper, 40 x 36 cm.

... and a couple of details:

These details will lead to further paintings I think, this time.. I need to explore working with broader strokes using larger brushes or ideally larger painting knives.

Loving my new Mameiri Classico Cadmium Red Light.

The title also refers to an Italian "giallo" film, "La Dama Rossa Uccide Sette Volte", English title "The Red Queen Kills Seven Times". It has a brilliant Bruno Nicolai soundtrack which I've been listening to a lot lately. I find a lot of his work autumnal, in an exciting blustery way. Here's a highlight,

"Terza Delitto".

Red Queen In Autumn etsy link

2011-09-17T23:47:00.000+01:00

Leafing through a book on Australian art this afternoon I chanced upon a small image of Ian Fairweather's Monsoon.
Wonderful work! I wish I could find more about this artist on the web.
Please let me know if you have other links to images/ info. Thanks!

http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/arts/bribie-island-hermit-ian-fairweather-shunned-fame/story-e6freqkf-1225848379708
http://www.evabreuerartdealer.com.au/artists/ian-fairweather/ian-fairweather-1891-1974

http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/books/book-reviews/fairweather/2009/03/20/1237526317789.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Fairweather

James Kalm on the Willem de Kooning Retrospective at MoMA

2011-09-17T11:39:00.000+01:00

I was really excited to watch part 1 of James Kalm's video of the de Kooning retropective at MoMA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S23gXv8FUfA

So much amazing never-seen-before (by me that is :-D) work!
I think I am going to have to watch it hourly for a week or two to
really take it all in! Thanks so much, James.

edited to add: parts 2 and 3 now up.
http://www.lorenmunk.com/videos/index.html

detail from "Secretary"

detail from one of the
oil on composition board pieces

detail from "Black Friday"

I was particularly taken by the white-on-black oil (and/ or enamel?)
on composition board paintings, sometimes having
flashes of colour.

Exhibiting at Wirksworth Festival This Weekend

2011-09-08T12:06:00.001+01:00

This coming weekend (10th and 11th of September) my work will form a part of Wirksworth Festival's Visual Art Trails.

The fantastic opening weekend when art takes over the town

The whole town becomes a gallery with more than 170 artists and makers showing their work in private homes, historic building, gardens, shop windows and churches. A great chance to buy affordable art, meet the artists and take a peek at some of Derbyshire's best interiors!

Stay for the whole day and enjoy our FREE events in the evening. The Launch of StarDisc on the 10th September at 7:00pm followed by a screening of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'presented by QUAD at 8:30pm will provide an exciting end to the fantastic first day.

On the 11th September at 3:00pm, the Festival will be embracing its historic roots with'Clypping the Church' taking place at St Mary's Church in the heart of Wirksworth. Everyone is welcome to take part in this ancient ceremony which sees the the congregation join hands in thanksgiving to completely encircle the Church.

Other events taking place will be 'Unbroken Thread', a site-specific, multi-media installation performed by felt-maker Denise Stanton, choreographer Debbi Hedderwick and musician Tullis Rennie and a vibrant outdoor production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' performed by acclaimed theatre company Jagged Fence in a stunning setting setting.

Just opened in April 2011, the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Wirksworth to Duffield line will be running Festival Specials, starting from 9:10am from Duffield with the last train from Wirksworth at 6:20pm.

My work will be on view in the Old School House, Wood Street, Wirksworth (rather than in Groom' s Cottage Coldwell street as listed in the trail guide)

http://www.wirksworthfestival.co.uk/home/trails-weekend-10th-11th-september/artists

edited to add: Heartfelt thanks to Moira and Ivan, the venue hosts, and to Rachael Pinks, fellow exhibiting artist, for being so kind and supportive!
Rachael is a wonderful artist and she has a great art blog here.

City of Mad Priests/Flurry/Sub Rosa

above: Sub Rosa

on etsy

below: City of Mad Priests (sold)

Recent small works

2011-08-13T02:13:00.000+01:00

Something Lies...(just out of view)

2011-08-13T01:53:00.025+01:00

It's quite a strange process trying to recreate a small painting whose atmosphere I really like, on a larger scale.

At this point it looks very crude to me, a bad attempt at a copy.

The original developed intuitively whereas this is more a fake, a rehash.

It seems to completely lack the depth of the original too at the moment.

Yet I want it to work, it feels like a worthwhile attempt, as I would be interested to see if

I can make it work on this larger scale, and it's quite a challenge technically.

There are some interesting things going on inside, though, if you look closer...

two details:

I've begun to add glazing layers. After working for some time something kicked in and the painting suddenly seemed to come alive. I was finding gorgeous translucent mixes of deep transparent colours, blended on a palette without being too muddied together, so that they really glowed forming chords.

Two images of the original painting; photo with edges cropped and, below, the composite from scans (edited).
The original has a depth and a soft gentle quality that I desperately want to recreate.
It flows together, undulates and is unified.

There's a strong Leonora Carrington influence at play here... she died quite recently; perhaps this is part of the reason why I want to make a larger version.

Also memories of a visit it the Sitwell's family seat Renishaw Hall, where John Piper painted resonant works during the 1940s.

I used to have an album on vinyl of Edith Sitwell/William Walton's Facade,
from which my painting's title is borrowed.

The key musical influence here though, is Adams' "Shaker Loops", the slow passages of which were used extensively in the wonderful BBC Omnibus film on Carrington, Leonora Carrington and the House of Fear, which made a great impression on my imagination. Its effect was so strong, and it has inspired me again and again throughout the years. Seeing and subsequently recalling this glimpse into Leonora's work and surroundings, learning of her formative experiences really helped me to develop confidence in myself as an artist and to believe that I too would find my way creatively. Paintings such as Crookhey Hall, The House Opposite, Ferret Race, Samain, Night, Nursery, Everything and others continue to inspire me. I recommend her writing, too, it's very sharp, subversive and funny as well as magical.

I love all the fine texture in the image below, largely from darker paint (raw umber etc) on a dry-ish brush
and wipeaway strokes with rags forming multiple fine lines over lighter areas,
giving it a somewhat print-like appearance. The colour has been subdued somewhat
and the sharpness and contrast increased.

Work in progress: "Something Lies beyond the Scene" - larger version

2011-07-31T20:21:00.014+01:00

: early stages.

Above: The original small painting (sold). Composite working image from two scans, hence the blurry vertical line near the middle.

"At dusk, you were at the boundary"...

2011-06-29T23:34:00.005+01:00

New oil on canvas (still in progress)

Recent work

2011-06-27T19:24:00.002+01:00

Breton Ballad

oil on canvas, 20 x 16

Machiavellian

oil on canvas, 20 x 16

Summer Storm

2011-06-02T13:57:00.004+01:00

Summer Storm

oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches.

(Sold)

Parade, new oil on canvas

2011-05-20T20:48:00.008+01:00

Parade
oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

etsy link

...also, a mere caprice, Mid May, Showery Dusk

16 x 12, oil on canvas

etsy link

Flowers of the Wind

2011-05-10T00:47:00.004+01:00

Flowers of the Wind
oil on canvas panel, 15 x 11 inches approx.

We've had some breezy days over here lately
and this made me aware of the strength of flowers as well as their delicacy,
how they ride along in this boisterous game.

etsy link

l'Ondée, update

2011-05-09T22:30:00.001+01:00

Laughing Song

2011-05-04T21:46:00.006+01:00

oil on canvas board, 16 x 13 "

"When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy,
And the dimpling stream runs laughing by;
When the air does laugh with our merry wit,
And the green hill laughs with the noise of it;

When the meadows laugh with lively green,
And the grasshopper laughs in the merry scene;
When Mary and Susan and Emily
With their sweet round mouths sing 'Ha ha he!'

When the painted birds laugh in the shade,
Where our table with cherries and nuts is spread:
Come live, and be merry, and join with me,
To sing the sweet chorus of 'Ha ha he!' "

-William Blake, 'Laughing Song', from 'Songs of Innocence'

A number of interesting musical settings to Blake poems, by Jeff Gillett, are here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/JandEGillett#p/u/4/M9pvcWA8fYA
etsy link

King of the Wood (Beer and Butterflies)

2011-04-21T10:43:00.007+01:00

10 by 8 inches, oil on canvas board. 20th April 2011

etsy link

The garden is all a-flutter with orange-tipped and yellow butterflies lately!

The Crimes of Bridget Quince

2011-04-14T19:51:00.002+01:00

oil on canvas paper, 16 x 12 "

etsy link

Tarry Night

2011-04-14T19:27:00.002+01:00

18 x 14, oil on canvas board

Two details:

etsy link

Bride of a Bull

2011-04-14T19:19:00.000+01:00

Oil on canvas paper, 16 x 12
etsy link

"Fugitives" - New Floral Abstract

2011-04-14T19:09:00.002+01:00

15 x 11, oil on canvas paper
etsy link

Black, White and Mixed Metals

2011-03-29T21:08:00.007+01:00

Isabel Knew a Spell

The Red King in his Labyrinth

Two new small paintings on canvas board. I love the matte black of blackboard paint
as a ground! I also love red oil stick, as it has a density and archaic sort of feel that encourages boldness.
The metallic lines are made with contour paste or relief markers used for glass painting.
These come in tubes with narrow nozzle tips making them irresistible as drawing implements!
etsy link
etsy link

Chamber Lullaby, March 16th

2011-03-17T17:27:00.025Z

New small 8 x 10" on canvas board.

Prepared with blackboard black for a dark flat matte ground.

Then gold relief liner/contour paste (for glass painting) improv. lines,

and finally knife-painted oils.

etsy link

March 11th 2011: New Spring floral abstract (with details)

2011-03-12T19:08:00.015Z

"Madeleine de Demandolx"

oil on canvas board,

18 x 14 in

etsy link

New paintings, early March

2011-03-09T01:37:00.050Z

Mornings with Malakoff

oil on canvas board, 16 x 12 inches

etsy link

One of my all time favourite old roses is Tour de Malakoff.

I love the name too, and the particular flora-drama described of petals of a rich

reddish purple fading to pale papery lilac! These recent works are full of the

sense of anticipation about Spring.
Come on, Spring!!

l'Ondee

oil on canvas board, 20 x 16

I've been reading up on classic older perfumes, and I love finding out about

their histories, meanings and evocative descriptions. Although I should say I have no sense memory of the perfume itself,
at least as far as I know, the poetry of the description is very inspiring. "Apres l'Ondee" (Jacques Guerlain, 1906)
("after the heavy rainshower" doesn't evoke the same poetic mood as the original French, does it? ) inspired the titling of this new painting. I wanted to keep a sense of fragility and ambiguity, as in Nerval, a dreamlike feeling that draws you in rather than defining itself too clearly.
In this aspect, this transitional state between landscape and portrait, the painting owes a debt to and is a conscious tribute to the great contemporary Russian painter
Andrey Aranyshev.

"Hilly Fields (I)", February 7th 2011

2011-02-07T19:30:00.008Z

Hilly Fields (I):Winter Harvest
oil on canvas, 30 x 30 cm
v iew on etsy.com

Icarus Fell (ii), Completed commission

2011-02-02T00:05:00.024Z

Icarus Fell (ii) oil on canvas, 3 x 2 ft
beyond a very tenuous relationship with Breughel's painting,
which is one of my all time favourite works of art, I have no idea what it is.

Something about innocence.

"Se Lest" by Sigur Ros evokes the same sort of feeling in me:
you can listen to it here.

The commission was to recreate a (cropped) image of a small, sold painting:

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/39479874

with some adjustments, on a larger canvas.

More images of the painting at different stages here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mossmottle/sets/72157625697336625/

Related links:

images of Breughel's "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus"

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=431064

Musee des Beaux Arts by W H Auden

William Carlos Williams in a World of Painters, by Bonnie Costello

"Pavement Game" - new small painting

2011-01-25T19:30:00.004Z

Pavement Game
10 x 8; oil on daler board
(sold)

Work in progress - quick update

2011-01-25T19:26:00.002Z

"Icarus Fell (ii)" work in progress

2011-01-15T17:38:00.003Z

Commissioned work. 3 x 2 feet on canvas

ETA:
Now completed; more pictures of the painting at various stages here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mossmottle/sets/72157625697336625/

Rogue Raincoat

2011-01-15T17:37:00.004Z

7 x 10 inches, oil on canvas paper

Evening of Light

2011-01-15T17:37:00.001Z

evening of light

Rain Face (small oil on canvas paper)

2011-01-15T17:36:00.007Z

Rain Face (small oil on canvas paper)

Lure of Botany

2011-01-15T17:36:00.006Z

lure of botany, originally uploaded by Merricat B.

surabaya johnny

2011-01-15T17:36:00.001Z

Surabaya Johnny

we always travelled light

2011-01-15T17:35:00.003Z

we always travelled light, originally uploaded by Merricat B.

as i roved out

2011-01-15T17:35:00.001Z

as i roved out

the golden vanity

2011-01-15T17:34:00.001Z

the golden vanity

A Childhood Memory

2011-01-15T17:33:00.002Z

A Childhood Memory, oil on canvas paper, 8 x 10 inches
etsy link

Berry Me 'Til Spring

2010-12-25T21:02:00.006Z

Oil on canvas paper

11 & 5/8 x 8 & 1/8 inches

etsy link

Winter Festival

2010-12-17T00:58:00.011Z

oil on hardboard, 15 x 19.75 "

detail

(this painting was fiendishly difficult to photograph!)

etsy link

Petrified Forest, oil on canvas paper, approx 7 x 7 inches

2010-11-29T20:43:00.001Z

Wine Dark Sea

2010-11-25T21:10:00.002Z

(now sold)

The Getaway

2010-11-20T21:44:00.002Z

10 x 8 "
etsy link

Opaque Reverberation

2010-11-20T01:16:00.001Z

etsy link

The Wheat Field Players (detail)

2010-11-20T01:10:00.006Z

etsy link

Mask Town

2010-11-20T01:04:00.005Z

New oil on fibreboard

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Mossmottle

Roses in a Tall Jar series

2010-11-20T01:02:00.006Z

Roses in a Tall Jar 3 a/b "Two Sisters", completed commission, mid-November 2010

Work in progress: commission for two small floral paintings

2010-11-02T22:21:00.000Z

Two small abstracts, October 2010

2010-10-30T12:03:00.005+01:00

Icarus Fell

Tutti Frutti

(edited to add: both now sold)

Night Gathering (detail)

2010-10-22T16:29:00.003+01:00

Night Gathering

oil on canvas board

(sold)

Roses in a Tall Jar (ii), small oil study

2010-10-22T12:02:00.000+01:00

Flurry, October abstract

2010-10-14T20:17:00.004+01:00

Work in progress Sept 17th

2010-09-17T00:36:00.004+01:00

dominio oculto

Work in progress

2010-09-10T00:07:00.002+01:00

Nearly ready to post!

2010-09-07T04:52:00.001+01:00

Sunken Pleasure (II: large commissioned version)

What I'm up to!

2010-08-07T13:30:00.041+01:00

I'm currently working on the second in a series named "Sunken Pleasure", based on
a small painting of that name completed last year:

The original 10 by 8 painting is available here in my summer sale by the way:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Mossmottle

So in answer to some recent queries on this, yes! I do paint bigger sometimes... In fact I welcome the opportunity.
Many thanks to the person who commissioned this! I'm especially excited as
it's going to reside in ROME! :-)

It's exciting to be able to work quite quickly and boldly on this larger surface

and I'm learning a lot - I hope! - from this challenge of translating up a smaller work.

I've been working on this in a loose and improvised rather than measured way,

both to avoid stiltedness and because the proportions differ, as you can see,

the larger version being taller.

The other two paintings partly visible are works in progress at

the early stages, both also on canvas paper.

I'm painting this on canvas paper, so it can be rolled and sent in a tube.

This cuts down on shipping costs considerably.

For more info on shipping artwork, along with her wonderful paintings,

see Tina Mammoser, a.k.a The Cycling Artist 's

most helpful blog post on this topic here.

New painting

2010-08-04T13:05:00.003+01:00

o sing of summer, oil on canvas board

more images/ buy here

2010-08-03T13:43:00.005+01:00

Fruition, small oil painting on cardboard

2010-07-10T11:22:00.005+01:00

One of the best of the regular "Handmade Portraits" on Etsy's blog.
Link to the full article :
http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/handmade-portraits-pets-with-fez-8711/

Recent work

2010-06-29T14:01:00.015+01:00

^ detail from The Temple Remains

Below, a large central detail from a rosegarden-ish work in progress:

(As above, so below) details from Osiris Hits the North (provisional title!) another work in progress.

The Gulf Restoration Network needs our support

2010-06-26T12:29:00.008+01:00

Thanks to fellow etsy Visual Arts Street team member Sherry Dole

who is donating 20 % of the sales for her giclee print "Welcome Back"

to the cause, for making me aware of the Network.
http://www.healthygulf.org/
the Guardian news site has an interactive day by day account of the spill here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2010/may/20/deepwater-horizon-gulf-oil-spill-gulf

Sub Rosa

2010-06-17T13:14:00.002+01:00

sr-2a, originally uploaded by Merricat B.

Blue John (I) (detail)

2010-06-02T21:52:00.001+01:00

Sharp Shiver (detail)

2010-06-02T21:49:00.002+01:00

Grove (detail)

2010-06-02T21:43:00.008+01:00

Posting a few painting photos from this year for no particular reason.
I like the lighting and texture visible in this one.

The Killer Wore Orange (updated)

2010-06-02T21:31:00.006+01:00

Glimpse

2010-06-02T21:27:00.004+01:00

Vintage Pick: Heartbreakingly Beautiful Mod Pumps from Broken Hip Vintage

2010-05-13T15:41:00.025+01:00

I could stare at these for hours. And I don't think that's strange.
If you have seen equally hauntingly fetching shoes elsewhere or when, please show me.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/brokenhipvintage

New painting, Pie Island

2010-04-29T01:45:00.006+01:00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45762691/small-abstract-painting-in-green-pink

9 by 11 1/2 inches
Oil on cardboard

New Painting, The Killer Wore Orange

2010-04-26T21:15:00.010+01:00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45589147/the-killer-wore-orange-original-abstract

How I love my new Williamsburg alizarin orange paint!
Link to UK stockists, Pegusus art

New commissioned fine silver ring

2010-04-22T13:13:00.006+01:00

With thanks to Tia! I really enjoyed making this wider squiggle ring.

New painting "Her Bright Ways"

2010-03-17T00:44:00.004Z

This was painted quickly after an evening of struggle with a more complex and vexing painting.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42876452

"Stumped". New Painting March 13th

2010-03-13T00:19:00.009Z

Provisional title :-) Click on the image for a larger view.
Available for a mere 65 dollars from etsy (click on post title or side etsy mini site)

Push-Ups

2010-03-12T11:47:00.008Z

Signs of spring!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mossmottle/

Waiting for the thaw

2010-02-28T02:54:00.006Z

a painting detail edited in iphoto